Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessReach MSMQ service on TCP 1801
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ExploitSend crafted MSMQ protocol messages
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ExecutionTrigger use-after-free via race condition
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ImpactExecute arbitrary code as service account
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Memory lifecycle management
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques across 2 tactics: Execution, Privilege Escalation The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Requires the target to have the Windows Message Queuing (MSMQ) optional feature installed and running, with its MSMQ listener reachable over the network (typically TCP port 1801); this feature is NOT enabled by default on Windows, which is the single largest limiting factor on exploitability. No authentication is required (PR:N) and no user interaction is needed (UI:N), so any attacker who can reach an enabled MSMQ endpoint can attempt it. The main remaining limiter is AC:H: as a use-after-free (CWE-416), successful exploitation depends on winning a race / achieving a specific memory state, reducing reliability and ruling out trivial point-and-click attacks against default installs. |
| Impact | This is a genuine high-priority vulnerability but with meaningful real-world friction. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N) describes network-reachable, unauthenticated code execution with no user interaction and full C:H/I:H/A:H impact (CWE-416 use-after-free), which maps cleanly to the 8.1 score. The single tempering signal in the vector is AC:H - consistent with a use-after-free that requires winning a memory-state race or heap-grooming, meaning exploitation is not trivially reliable. No EPSS score was supplied in the input, so exploitation probability cannot be quantified here. KEV status is not present (no active-exploitation signal) and no POC is referenced, so this is not confirmed as currently exploited. Note a conflict worth flagging: the input Tags include 'Denial Of Service' while the description and impact metrics describe remote code execution - the A:H component makes a DoS outcome plausible as a secondary effect, but the primary vendor-described impact is RCE; treat the DoS tag as a lesser/secondary characterization, not the main risk. The practical risk is gated far more by exposure than by severity: MSMQ is an optional, non-default Windows feature, so only environments that have deliberately enabled it and exposed TCP 1801 are affected. For those environments this is a serious, patch-now issue given the unauthenticated network RCE profile; for everyone else it is not reachable. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker with network reachability to a Windows host running the Message Queuing (MSMQ) service (TCP 1801) sends a sequence of crafted MSMQ protocol messages designed to trigger the use-after-free, then grooms the heap to win the race (reflecting AC:H) and redirect execution. On success the attacker runs arbitrary code in the context of the MSMQ service without authentication or user interaction. No public exploit code is identified at time of analysis, and the high attack complexity means a working exploit would require non-trivial reliability engineering. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 13, 2026
Use-after-free in Windows Message Queuing (MSMQ) allows unauthenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on systems where the optional MSMQ feature is installed and its listener is network-reachable, typically on TCP port 1801. Exploitation requires winning a memory race due to the high attack complexity (CVSS AC:H), and the feature is not enabled by default, which significantly limits real-world exposure; no public exploit identified at time of analysis.
RemediationAI
Patch available per vendor advisory: apply the Microsoft security update specified in the MSRC update guide for your Windows version (https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-108460). If MSMQ is not required, disable the optional feature entirely - this eliminates the attack surface with no operational impact on systems not using message queuing. If MSMQ is required, restrict network access to the MSMQ listener (typically TCP port 1801) using host-based firewall rules to only trusted sources; this may disrupt legitimate message traffic from other hosts. Monitor for anomalous MSMQ traffic as a compensating detective control. No specific patch version is listed in the provided data; consult the advisory for the exact update.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 20 packages in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
The vulnerability is a use-after-free (CWE-416) in Microsoft's Message Queuing (MSMQ) service, a Windows optional component that provides message-oriented middleware for distributed applications. A use-after-free occurs when the service frees a memory object but continues to reference it, leading to memory corruption that an attacker can potentially leverage for remote code execution. The attack vector is network-based (AV:N) with no authentication (PR:N) or user interaction (UI:N), but the high attack complexity (AC:H) reflects the race condition or specific memory layout needed for successful exploitation. The tags indicate denial of service, memory corruption, and use-after-free, consistent with the CWE.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
MSMQ is network-reachable (AV:N) and unauthenticated (PR:N); the use-after-free race gives AC:H, and service-context code execution yields full C/I/A:H.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Use after free in Windows Message Queuing allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network.
Executive ViewAI
Windows Message Queuing (MSMQ) contains a use-after-free vulnerability that could allow remote code execution on systems where the optional MSMQ feature is installed and network-reachable. This affects organizations that have deployed MSMQ for message-based communication, potentially leading to unauthorized system compromise and data loss. Leadership should prioritize identifying exposed systems because no vendor-released patch is currently available, though exploitation requires winning a memory race and no public exploit has been identified at time of analysis.
Disable MSMQ if not required; block TCP port 1801 at network perimeter; restrict access to MSMQ service to trusted internal networks only; monitor for anomalous network traffic to port 1801.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Use-after-free vulnerabilities occur when a program continues to access memory through a pointer after that memory has been deallocated.
Memory corruption occurs when a program writes data beyond the boundaries of allocated memory regions or accesses memory in unintended ways, violating the integrity of the process's address space.
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EUVD-2026-99088
GHSA-gp9w-gxwq-v39f
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB